Karl Bushby, a British adventurer and former paratrooper, has reached British soil for the first time since 1998, concluding a significant milestone in his nearly 28-year journey on foot around the world. On Monday afternoon, the 57-year-old completed the final leg of his trek by swimming across the English Channel, arriving on Shakespeare Beach in Dover after spending 20 hours in the water over three days.

Bushby’s expedition began on November 1, 1998, when he set off from Chile, shortly after departing from his mother Angela’s home in East Yorkshire. Over the course of his journey, he has crossed some of the world’s most challenging terrains without the use of any transport and with the rule that he only returns to Hull, his hometown, by foot. His route has taken him through conflict zones like the Darién Gap during the Colombian civil war, across the frozen Bering Strait, and included a remarkable 184-mile swim across the Caspian Sea, a feat previously unrecorded.

While the English Channel crossing covered a relatively short distance of 21 miles compared to his previous challenges, it involved significant logistical hurdles. Bushby originally intended to walk through the Channel Tunnel’s service tunnel but was denied access due to safety concerns and the potential disruption to tunnel maintenance operations. Additionally, French law prohibits Channel crossings starting from French shores, making Bushby’s swim subject to special government approval, which he successfully obtained.

Upon completing the swim, Bushby was greeted by his father, brothers, and close friends, who had kept the details of his arrival confidential for security reasons. He shared updates with his roughly half a million TikTok followers, posting footage of himself swimming in a wetsuit with a flotation device and hand paddles. He remarked, "Karl’s home — 28 years later but he’s home," highlighting the significance of the moment.

The epic journey of approximately 31,000 miles continues, however, as Bushby still must travel another 250 miles on foot to reach his 75-year-old mother’s house. He has not seen her since 2015 and emphasized his determination to finish where he started. “I walked away from that place 28 years ago and that is where we are going to wrap it up. That’s about 400 kilometers from here so I’ve got to get busy,” he said.

Renowned filmmaker Werner Herzog is currently directing a feature-length documentary on Bushby’s extraordinary odyssey. The project is co-produced by Westward Productions, which has supported the explorer for the past 16 years.